Tag: municipal government

“Swimming pools and public space generally have the potential to foster a vibrant community life by counteracting many of the segmenting and alienating aspects of modern life. They offer an informal social space — a meeting ground — where people separated by differences, large yards and high fences, busy lives, and electronic entertainment can interact […]

Last week, we joined what seemed like a few hundred other interested Montgomery citizens at the first of several forums featuring the candidates who want to be our city’s next mayor. It was a pretty packed house at the Crump Senior Center. The event was sponsored by the East Montgomery Neighborhood Association and the Midtown […]

Even if you don’t live in one of Montgomery’s beautiful historic districts, you still benefit from their character and distinctiveness. Aesthetically, they are a joy to walk or drive through. Economically, they help us all by generating tourism and marketing our distinctive character to prospective new residents. But as the city grows and changes, preserving […]

The ability of the government to respond to an emergency is one of the most important reasons we pay taxes. But theoretical talk about the “common good” can quickly fade away when there’s a emergency threatening the security of your loved ones or those around you. In those kinds of crises, you want to summon […]

We love public parks. They are the quintessential example of government spending for the common good. Even in an era where people are constantly staring at phones or computer screens, pretty much everybody enjoys open green spaces. Having parks encourages exercise, which is a public health virtue, and property located near parks is always worth […]

It’s amazing what you can find in your blind spots. I’ve driven past payday lending storefronts for what feels like my entire life (actually they’ve only been around since the 1990s), but until recently, I had never even given a second thought to what goes on in those shops. Sure, the signs say “loans,” but […]

Although nearly everything about media consumption has changed in the last decade, people still love movies. People like going to see thoughtful independent pieces and big blockbusters, even as options for consuming films have proliferated onto phones and portable devices. The Capri is one of Montgomery’s most beloved institutions, and will always be a great […]

Until we moved to Montgomery, we’d never heard of a charrette before. For those not in the know, the term “charrette” basically means a session where people get together to come up with a design for a shared project. Wikipedia is pretty sketchy on the term’s origins – the root of the word is French […]

If you followed the PetSafe “Bark for Your Park” $100,000 grant giveaway contest, you no doubt have heard that Montgomery came in fourth in the voting with 26,000 ballots cast. Huntingdon, West Virginia — with a population of just 50,000 residents — managed to pile up an amazing 87,854 votes and walk away the victor. […]

If you’re a Midtown resident, you very probably are intimately familiar with the blocks of East Fairview between South Court Street and Narrow Lane Road. After all, that 16-block stretch contains some of the area’s most beautiful and stately old homes, the beloved Cloverdale Five Points entertainment district, the entrance to the Montgomery Country Club […]